


And Hope To Die

by tumblruserpailylove



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Arguing, Blood, Divorce, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Hospital, Injury, Jealousy, Nicole being the amazing cop she is, Worried Nicole, mystery girl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-04 15:19:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15843987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tumblruserpailylove/pseuds/tumblruserpailylove
Summary: All Nicole wanted was for Shae to sign the divorce papers. When she saves an unknown woman who was nearly beaten to death she gets a lot more than she bargained for. Something tells her this girl is going to change her life.-----





	And Hope To Die

**Author's Note:**

> (and older work that I'm just moving over here)
> 
> (Because this has generated a lot of interest for more (which is awesome. thank you guys so much!) I wanted to clarify that as it stands it is a solo piece of work. Maybe in the future after I finish what I am currently working on I will revisit and consider writing more to this story but it was intended to be a stand alone tidbit)

Nicole let out a heavy sigh as she looked up at the sign on the building she had been standing in front of for fifteen minutes. She had been practicing her speech on her way to the building but now that she was standing just outside the doors she felt her nerve slipping away. She knew she had to march in there and have the conversation face to face in order to prove how serious she was but now that she was within reach of the doors she wasn’t sure she could do it. 

 

It was not as though Nicole Haught was a coward. Quite the opposite, actually. She was brave and stood up when others backed down. She had been like that her entire life. It made sense to every person who knew her that she had chosen to become a cop. It fit her. She was made to do it.

 

But at that very moment she did not feel brave. She did not feel like standing up. She felt like running and hiding because what she had to do was terrifying. She had no idea why it was so scary. It’s not like the person on the other end of the conversation was at all scary. The opposite, really. She was sweet and compassionate and had a smile that melted your heart. That was what had drawn Nicole to her in the first place. That and the copious amounts of alcohol she had consumed the night they had met.

 

Regardless she stood there paralyzed with fear. The thought of seeing the face of the person that had never done any wrong and looking into those innocent and caring eyes all in the name of breaking a heart was the most horrifying thing Nicole had ever encountered in her life.

 

She drew in a breath to steel her nerves. She could do this. She had to just march in there and rip off the bandaid. She gave a confident nod to herself in that moment because she had just convinced herself once more she could do this. She was in control of the situation. She was not backing down. She brushed a wavy piece of her red hair off her face and took a step forward.

 

She paused as her boot crunched against the gravel where she stepped. Her ears perked up and she turned her attention toward where she had heard a sound. At least she thought she had heard something coming from near a bush. Maybe it was her head trying to stall her from going inside. 

 

She stood still for a moment and listened carefully. When she didn’t hear anything right away she shook her head and looked back at the door. No more distractions. She had to go inside.

 

Just as she took another step she heard another sound. This time it was unmistakable. It was a cough and it was definitely coming from a bush tucked up against the brick wall of the building. Like a reflex she went right into helping mode and she slowly made her way toward the sound.

 

“Hello? Is someone over here?” She called out softly because she did not want to startle whoever had coughed out.

 

Again she was met with silence. This time she did not shake it off. Instead she slowly made her way toward where she was certain the sound had come from. She kept her eyes alert, darting back and forth through her surroundings, looking for any movement. As she approached the bush she heard another sound. This time it was a groan and Nicole was immediately filled with concern.

 

Her eyes landed on a boot sticking out from under the bushes and her heart jumped into her throat. There was definitely someone there. She rushed over and used her hand to push aside as much of the leaves and branches as she could. As soon as she did she was met with a sight she knew she would not soon forget.

 

A small woman lay there in the bush, obviously beaten, covered in a few different patches of blood. Her long hair was blood soaked and sticking around her face. Her clothes were torn. She was barely conscious. 

 

Nicole knelt down and her instincts took over. The part of her that just knew what to do to help kicked in and she started checking for breathing and a heartbeat as carefully as she could. Though both were faint she was relieved to find the woman was still breathing with a pulse. So as carefully as she could she slid her arms under the tiny crumbled woman and lifted her out of the bush.

 

“Somebody get some help!” She called out as she turned and started toward the doors of the building she had been staring at with dread just a few minutes earlier. That didn’t matter now. What mattered was the life of the woman who she held in her arms.

 

As soon as the sliding glass doors opened as Nicole approached she called out again for help “Can I get some help, please?”

 

That was all it took. It was like someone had snapped their fingers and everyone within earshot of Nicole moved into action. There were nurses surrounding her in a flash. Some asked questions and others directed her to the nearest emergency bed. They all worked to carefully move the woman from Nicole’s arms to a sheet draped bed where they began their life saving procedures.

 

Nicole blinked and stepped back now that the woman was under the care of very capable medical professionals. She looked down at herself and noticed that a lot of the blood from the girl had transferred to her clothing and hands. She shook her head and let out a sigh. She could not believe she had just found a random girl clinging to life in the bushes outside of a hospital.

 

She didn’t have time to think on that, though. She was whisked to the side by a nurse who started to question her. Who was the girl? What had happened? How long had she been unconscious? All of these were met with a mumbled response from Nicole of “I don’t know.”

 

Then just like that everyone was gone. The nurses and emergency room doctors had taken the girl away to treat her injuries. Nicole had been ushered to the waiting room and told that a nurse would give her an update as soon as she knew anything. In the whirlwind of everything happening Nicole had agreed to wait. So she sat in one of the chairs in a fairly quiet emergency waiting room and exhaled. 

 

She looked down at her hands and again saw the blood. It was darkening as it dried which meant it had been wet and fresh when she had picked up the girl. Maybe that was good. Maybe that meant whatever had happened to that poor woman had not happened too long ago and Nicole had gotten her help right away. Maybe. She could only hope.

 

Then like a bolt of lightning everything came back to her. The reason she had been standing outside the hospital in the first place. She let out a groan and drew in a breath. Well she was already inside and she had time to kill she might as well get it over with.

 

She stood and made her way up to the nearest nurses’ station and gave the girl typing furiously on the computer at the desk a soft smile “Excuse me?”

 

“You will be updated when we know something, ma’am” The girl said without even looking up.

 

“I know” Nicole said with a quick nod. “That’s not what I…” She shook her head and and laughed softly before clearing her throat and trying again. “Is there any way that you can page Dr. Pressman?”

 

“She is not an E.R. doctor” The girl looked up from her computer now and eyed Nicole carefully.

 

“I know” Nicole affirmed with a single nod. Still smiling softly she spoke evenly “I need to talk to her.”

 

“She’s probably busy” The girl said with a shrug.

 

“I have no doubt. It will only take a moment” Nicole leaned her hip against the tall divider that stood between her and the girl typing on the computer.

 

The girl looked Nicole up and down slowly as if she was trying to read her mind. She looked skeptical. 

 

“Look can you just page her, please?” Nicole straightened up from where she had leaned against the divider once she realized she could not charm the nurse by being cute. “Tell her that her wife needs to talk to her.”

 

“Wife?” The girl softened immediately. She gave Nicole one more look over then nodded “Have a seat.”

 

“Thank you” Nicole said as her smile returned. She moved away from the girl now but did not sit. Instead she took to pacing near the windows that stretched the entire length of the floor to ceiling and acted as the outside wall of the E.R. She thought about how easily she could just run out of the E.R. doors and never look back. She chewed her lip at the thought. It sounded like a great plan.

 

Then she sighed and shook the plan away. That wouldn’t solve anything. She was already there and had already asked to page Shae. She might as well stick around. Plus she would never forgive herself if she did not wait around to make sure that girl she had brought it was doing alright.

 

So she paced. She stared at the ground and pulled at her fingers nervously. She nodded to herself a few times as she silently pumped herself up. She could do this. She could look at Shae and put her foot down and demand she sign those divorce papers.

 

“Nicole?” Shae’s voice broke into Nicole’s thoughts startling her and causing her to jump before she whirled around to face her.

 

“Shae! Hi!” Nicole’s eyes were wide as silver dollars as they landed on the woman she had not seen since leaving in the middle of the night and driving to an entirely new town just to avoiding having to have this very conversation.

 

Shae’s own eyes went wide as Nicole turned around and revealed her blood soaked clothing and hands. Concern painted her face and she approached her quickly “Oh my god are you alright? What happened?”

 

“What?” Nicole was confused at Shae’s concern until the girl grabbed her bloody hand and looked at it carefully. This caused Nicole to laugh and shake her head as she pulled her hand back gently “No, no I am totally fine. It’s not mine. I, Uh…” She pointed to the emergency room doors and blinked a few times as the whirlwind of what had just unfolded replayed in her mind. 

 

“Did you hit your head?” Shae could see the sort of dazed look in Nicole’s eyes and she moved now to grab her chin to direct Nicole’s gaze back to her so she could check for signs of head trauma.

 

“I’m fine” Nicole said a little more firmly than she had intended as she stepped back from Shae now so she was out of her reach completely. “Stop” She barked and used a hand to wipe at the sensation of Shae’s fingers on her chin which, subsequently, left a streak of dark blood where she had touched her chin.

 

Looking a little wounded at Nicole’s tone, Shae folded her arms in defeat and shrugged at her “Well what the Hell are you doing here then?”

 

“I’m sorry” Nicole immediately felt bad. She totally hated hurting people’s feelings. She let out a sigh and ran a bloody hand back through her wavy red hair which she suddenly realized was messed up due to the earlier commotion. “I just found a random girl all bloody and barely conscious outside in the bushes so I am still a little…” She made a indistinct circle motion near her head and shrugged.

 

“Wait, you found Jane Doe?” Shae looked amazed now.

 

“Jane Doe?” Nicole thought that sounded weird for some reason even though that was how unknown women were identified. She again shook it off and tried to focus on the task at hand. “Yeah I was coming here to…” She paused and eyed Shae carefully before closing her eyes because she couldn’t bare to see her face when she finished her sentence “...demand you sign the divorce papers when I found her.”

 

Shae again looked wounded at Nicole’s words. Her arms that had been crossed over her chest dropped now and her shoulders slumped. She frowned slightly and let out a sigh “You sneak out in the middle of the night without a word like a coward and then I don’t hear from you for months until divorce papers come in the mail and suddenly you have the gall to just march in here and start making demands?”

 

“Look I’m sorry” Nicole groaned and her eyes came open. She looked at Shae and grimaced because she could see the actual hurt in the girl’s eyes. She hated this. “For all the good I try to do for people I am a flawed person and my biggest flaw is my inability to confront personal matters face to face. I know it was a really shitty thing to do but so is refusing to sign divorce papers.”

 

“I never refused” Shae said with a shrug.

 

“You literally used the word refuse last time I called you!” Nicole nearly shouted.

 

“Calm down” Shae said softly and stepped closer. She held a hand up in a stop sign type motion and lowered her voice. “I work here so please do not make a scene.”

 

“I am sorry” Nicole looked genuinely apologetic. She looked around where they stood before letting out a sigh. “Look I know what I did was childish and bad and just so not good..” She shrugged and gave her head a few shakes “But Shae what is the point of holding on? We both know it was a mistake. We knew it the next morning. But we are also both too stubborn to just give up right away and that is why we tried. We can’t be faulted for trying. We also can not be faulted for failing at something that was just never meant to succeed.”

 

Shae gave a nod and her arms crossed over her chest again. She looked at Nicole firmly but with a gentleness in her eyes. There was a sparkle of a genuine caring for the girl. She sighed softly before finally speaking “I just wanted an apology.”

 

“I truly am sorry, Shae. Trust me this is not how I ever wanted any relationship in my life to end” Nicole chewed her lip gently as she stared remorsefully at Shae. Her own heart was breaking as she watched herself crush someone who did not deserve it. “I wish we could have worked. You and I, we had fun, and that was genuine.” She smiled just slightly at her words before shrugging “but also fleeting. I wish it could have been different, I really do.”

 

“Me too” Shae said with a sigh. She eyed Nicole carefully, a frown fixed on her lips, before giving her a single nod. “I’ll sign them after I get off my shift here. If you’re still in town I will bring them to you personally.”

 

“Why would I still be in town?” Nicole perked an eyebrow slightly at that.

 

“Are you really gonna ditch Jane Doe in the middle of the night, too?” Shae smirked teasingly.

 

Nicole blushed at that. That was definitely a fair jab. She deserved that. She shook her head and gave a shrug “No, you’re right, I will probably stick around to make sure she at least makes it. Then I will head back home.”

 

“I get out of here tomorrow night so…” Shae checked the watch she wore then nodded “You have twenty-two hours for Jane Doe to pull through and wake up or you will be forced to see me at least one more time.”

 

“Forced” Nicole rolled her eyes slightly. “I don’t hate seeing you. I was just-”

 

“A coward” Shae said in a matter-of-fact tone before shrugging and taking a step away from Nicole.

 

“I deserve that” Nicole grumbled. She watched Shae retreat backwards for a moment before giving the girl a shrug. “I promise to stick around so you can give me the papers in person.”

 

“Promise?” Shae let out a laugh that showed she did not believe that at all.

 

“Cross my heart” Nicole said with a nod.

 

Shae just rolled her eyes. She turned now and headed toward the door that led back into the main part of the hospital. She didn’t even look back at Nicole. She couldn’t stand to, really. She wasn’t surprised by the divorce papers showing up in the mail. She wasn’t delusional. She knew they had been over just as quickly as they had begun. But she had been more than hurt by Nicole walking out on her in the middle of the night without so much of a goodbye note. That was something that she would never forgive.

 

Nicole frowned when Shae walked away without a goodbye or even a wave. Then again she had deserved it. She honestly hated herself for how she had handled that entire situation. She wished she could take it back. All she could do now was make sure that no matter what happened in the future she would never turn her back and run from something like that again. She would stay and face the consequences no matter how scary they might be.

 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

 

“Ma’am?” The soft voice broke through to Nicole’s ears and it jolted her from sleep. She sat up in the chair where she had apparently dozed off and looked around for a moment to try and gain her bearings. She blinked a few times and that is when she realized a tiny nurse, much older than the one that she had talked to originally, was standing next to her.

 

“Sorry I must have fallen asleep. What time is it?” Nicole rubbed at one eye as the other one continued to dart around her surroundings.

 

“Nearly sunrise” The kind older lady said with a smile. “I am sorry to wake you but the girl you brought in has been taken to her room and should be waking up soon. Usually you would have to wait until visiting hours but…” The woman motioned to where Nicole’s badge hung on her belt and she gave a smile “The police are allowed to go in early.”

 

“Oh, I’m not…” Nicole reached for her badge. She looked down at it and quickly shook her head before looking at the woman again. “I’m not from here.”

 

The woman just shrugged “I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.” She gave another warm smile then motioned for Nicole to follow her.

 

Nicole scrambled to her feet and followed quickly behind the woman. She looked down and realized she was still wearing her blood soaked clothing. She frowned at that and gently put a hand on the woman’s shoulder from behind her “I’m sorry is there a place I can clean up?” She showed her the blood caked on her hands “I just feel like seeing me all bloody and not knowing where you are might traumatize the girl.”

 

The woman gave a sweet smile at that. She moved over to the nurses’ station and tapped a young man on the shoulder. They whispered for a moment or two before the young man came up to Nicole with a smile “You look about my size” He eyed her up and down. They were the same height, at least. He was more filled out, broad in the shoulders and arms as men tend to be, but the height was there. “I have some clean scrubs you can borrow. Follow me.”

 

Before Nicole could argue she was being directed down a back hallway. They wound through a few corridors before they reached what looked like a locker room. She looked a little concerned as the gentleman opened the door for her “Are you sure this is okay?”

 

“You’re with me” He said with a smile. “My name is Josh by the way.”

 

“Nicole” She smiled and offered her bloody hand out for him to shake.

 

“Unsanitary” Josh lifted his hands away from her and laughed. “This way” He led her through a few rows of lockers before coming to find his own. He opened it quickly then pulled out a few folded items. He turned and offered them to her with a nod “Shower is around the corner. Come find me when you are done and we will go see Jane Doe.”

 

“You don’t know who she is yet?” Nicole frowned at that. 

 

“She didn’t have I.D.” Josh said with a little shrug. He looked sad about it for about three seconds then his smile returned “I am sure we will figure it out. Now go wash up!”

 

Before Nicole could ask anything else he disappeared. She let out a laugh and looked down at the clothing in her arms before shrugging “They are so much nicer than the night nurses here.”

 

She made quick work of washing herself off and changing into the clean scrubs. She folded up her dirty clothes and then made her way back down the same corridors toward where she had originally been in the waiting room. She was greeted by a smiling Josh again who gave her a bag for her dirty clothes before rushing her through a few more sets of doors. Within just a minute Josh was motioning to a closed door with a smile “She’s in there. If anyone comes in and asks what you are doing here make sure you show them your badge.”

 

Nicole nodded quickly. 

 

“If you need anything there is a big red call button on the side of the bed.” Josh pushed the door opened for her and shrugged “Have fun!”

 

“Fun?” Nicole asked as she stepped through the door. She glanced back to ask him what he meant by fun but he had already hurried away. She let out a laugh at that and moved toward the only bed in the room. Her laugh faded and she immediate frowned at the sight before her.

 

The girl she had carried into the hospital somehow looked smaller laying in that bed. She wasn’t bloody anymore but her face was swollen. Someone had definitely done a number on her. Nicole bit her lip and gave a shake of her head. She wondered what had happened to this poor girl.

 

She made her way to the bed and gently sat down on the chair next to it. She stared at the sleeping girl and her heart twisted in her chest. She felt awful for this girl. Even through the swelling she could tell the girl was sweet. She had a soft face and she was certain that her eyes were kind even if they were shut at the moment.

 

Letting out a sigh she did the only thing she could think to do and reached for the sleeping girl’s hand. She took a hold of it gently and spoke softly “I’m not sure what happened to you but I am sorry. I will do whatever I can to help find whoever did this to you.”

 

Though she spoke softly the words seemed to be loud enough to rouse the girl from her slumber. Her fingers curled around Nicole’s hand and gave a gentle squeeze before her head turned and she faced the source of the voice she heard. “What….happened?”

 

Nicole’s heart leapt. Her eyes widened and she stood up. She went to reach for the call button but the girl’s grip on her hand tightened so she froze instead. She looked down at the small woman and spoke gently “Take it easy, okay? You have been through a lot.”

 

“What happened?” The question was posed again by the groggy voice coming from the tiny woman. 

 

Nicole bit her lip. She had no idea how to answer that question. She let out a sigh and using the hand not being held by the girl she brushed some of the messed hair off the girl’s forehead “I found you pretty beat up in the bushes. It’s alright though they say you’re going to be alright.”

 

The girl licked her lips. Her brows creased together as she focused on what she had just been told. After a moment of thought she nodded. Then she cracked her eyes opened. It was hard at first because her cheek was so swollen but she managed it. She blinked a few times and when she was finally able to focus she was greeted by the sight of a gentle smile looking down at her.

 

Nicole’s breath hitched her in throat as she watched the girl open her eyes. Her assumption had been right, the girl had very kind eyes. Amazing eyes, actually. The most incredible eyes she had ever seen. Somehow even with a swollen face the girl’s eyes were shining brightly up at her. She blinked just once and stared down in awe at the girl.

 

“Who are you?” The girl asked softly but with a slight smile. The woman above her, looking down at her with a radiant smile and the light shining behind her head, looked like an angel. She was beautiful. “Are you an angel? Am I dead?”

 

“Oh, no, sweetie, no. You are not dead” Nicole laughed very softly at that. She gave the girl’s hand a squeeze and her fingers moved along her forehead to push more hair off her face. “My name is Nicole and I’m the one that found you.”

 

“Nicole” The girl whispered. She thought it over for a moment then smiled again. “Pretty.”

 

“Thank you” Nicole blushed. She had no idea why but she did. “And what’s your name?”

 

“I’m…” The girl paused. Her smile faded and her brows curled together. It was obvious she was thinking. She took a few moments to process the question before her eyes focused on Nicole with a sense of worry in them now “...I don’t know. I don’t know my name.”

 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay” Nicole said quickly before the girl could work herself up too much. “It’s totally fine. People sometimes don’t know their names when they first wake up. No big deal. I am sure you will remember in no time.”

 

The girl didn’t seem to really believe that but the way Nicole spoke so calmly it helped put her at ease. So she nodded just once “Are you my doctor?”

 

“What?” Nicole blinked in confusion. Then in the next moment remembered she was wearing scrubs and she let out a laugh “No, sorry, these aren’t mine. I borrowed them.”

 

“To sneak in and see me?” The girl asked now as her smile returned.

 

Nicole let out another soft laugh and instead of explaining that she had been covered with her blood she just nodded “Something like that.”

 

The girl smiled a little wider. Then she winced because the smile hurt her swollen face. This caused the smile to fade and she let out a sigh. “I am tired.”

 

“Of course” Nicole nodded quickly. She was still standing, still staring down at this frail woman, and still holding her hand tightly. She had no idea why she hadn’t called for the nurses. This girl was magnetic. She didn’t want to leave her side. “You should rest.”

 

“You’ll be here when I wake up?” The mumble from the girl was barely audible.

 

“I…” Nicole wanted to tell her she wasn’t sure. She wanted to say she had to leave and go back to her own life. She wanted to tell her she had stayed just to make sure that she was okay. But the hand she held gave a squeeze and Nicole’s heart fluttered “Yeah, sure, I will be right here.”

 

The girl smiled slightly and gave a single nod. She had already shut her eyes. She was already drifting back to sleep. 

 

Nicole let out a soft sigh. She slowly moved to sit down on the chair beside the bed again. Her hand remained holding onto the girl’s smaller one as she looked around the room. She had a feeling she would be seeing a lot of that room over the next day or two but she knew now she could not leave until the mysterious girl in the bed gave her permission to go.

 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

 

“Nicole wake up.”

 

Nicole’s eyes shot open at the sudden nudging and the sound of her name. She looked around quickly before her eyes landed on Shae standing next to the chair that was next to Jane Doe’s bed. She blinked a few times then frowned “What time is it?”

 

“Here” Shae handed over a paper cup of coffee then moved to sit herself on the wide windowsill that was just behind that chair where Nicole sat. “It’s just after noon. You’re still here?”

 

“Yeah” Nicole shrugged then took a sip of the coffee. She winced and looked at the cup as if it had offended her “What the Hell is that?”

 

“Coffee?” Shae offered with a shrug.

 

“It tastes like dirt. Did you put anything in it?” Nicole wiped her mouth and set the cup aside.

 

“No” Shae shrugged again. “I didn’t know how you liked it.”

 

Nicole rolled her eyes. They had definitely had coffee together more than once. Shae should know her coffee order at least. Just another reason why them being married was not meant to be. She yawned and shook the thought away before turning the chair to face Shae now “What are you doing?”

 

“I work here” Shae said with yet another shrug. “I heard Jane Doe had pulled through so I thought I’d come check on her. I could say I was surprised to find you in the room but that would be a lie.”

 

“What do you mean?” Nicole frowned then glanced at the still sleeping girl in the bed.

 

“You’re a bleeding heart, Nicole. You can barely kill a spider” Shae pushed off of the windowsill now and moved back across the room toward the door. “I knew you wouldn’t leave her right away. Especially because we still don’t know who she is.”

 

“Any word on that?” Nicole brushed off being annoyed by Shae’s grand standing about how well she knew her and focused on what really mattered instead.

 

“That is not my job” Shae reached for the door handle. She glanced back over her shoulder, eyed Nicole up and down just once, and shrugged once more “If only I were a cop…”

 

Before Nicole could say anything else, Shae was gone. Nicole rolled her eyes. She had no idea how she had never noticed how obnoxious Shae is until now. She shook it away then looked down at the bag she had brought in that held her dirty clothes. It also held her phone. She dug into the bag quickly to retrieve her phone.

 

She stood now and held her phone over the bed. She took a few quick snapshots of the sleeping girl then sat back down. She swiped through to find one where the girl did not look dead before attaching it to an email. She typed out a quick message that detailed her location and a description of Jane Doe before she sent it to one of her co-workers asking him to run a search for any missing person reports that might match.

 

Once she was done she settled back into the chair. She noticed she had let go of the girl’s hand when she had fallen asleep so she gently reached out and took a hold of it again. Just like the first time it seemed to rouse the girl and she stirred from her sleep.

 

As her eyes came open and she focused on Nicole sitting next to her bed she smiled softly “You stayed.”

 

“I did” Nicole affirmed with a smile and a nod. “How are you feeling?”

 

“I could run a marathon” The girl mumbled out hoarsely.

 

This made Nicole laughed. She gave her hand a gentle squeeze and asked “At least you still have your sense of humor.”

 

“Or maybe I gained a sense of humor in the attack” The girl said with a smirk.

 

“So you were attacked?” Nicole’s smile faded and she instantly flipped into cop mode.

 

The girl frowned and her head gave a single back and forth shake against her pillow “I don’t know. I am assuming I was.” She blinked and looked back at Nicole “Are you always so serious?”

 

“Sorry” Nicole let out a sigh and leaned closer to the bed. She gave another squeeze of her hand “It’s a pretty bad habit to go right into cop mode in situations like this.”

 

“You’re a cop?” The girl asked softly with a little confusion on her face “I thought you were a doctor.”

 

“No” Nicole looked at her outfit again and shook her head. “These aren’t mine. I borrowed them because my clothes were dirty.”

 

“Your cop clothes were dirty?” The girl asked softly. 

 

Nicole just nodded. She did not want to tell the girl that she had been wearing regular clothes when she had picked her up and carried her inside. So she just went with what the girl had assumed to be true.

 

The girl nodded and then they both fell silence. It was surprisingly not awkward to be sitting in a silence room holding the hand of a strange girl for Nicole. She thought it would be weird but it felt natural. So she just sat there for a few moments because she honestly had no idea what to talk about. She had a feeling the girl still didn’t know anything more than she had before.

 

Thankfully Nicole didn’t have to break the silence. A nurse came into the room just a minute later and greeted both girls with a warm smile. She went about her business checking the machines for vital signs and making sure there was enough medication in the I.V. bags. She chatted lightly with Jane Doe and didn’t seem too worried when she got no clear answers from her. 

 

“I can just….” Nicole motioned toward the door to indicate she would give them some privacy but she was stopped from leaving by the tiny hand she held tightening its grip. Nicole looked down at where their hands laid together then up to the girl “Are you sure?”

 

“Stay” The girl whispered softly but her eyes shone over at her with an intense pleading. She seemed terrified to be alone.

 

Nicole didn’t argue. She just sat there and held Jane Doe’s hand.

 

“Is this your friend?” The nurse asked the girl in the bed.

 

“No, I-”

 

“Yes” The girl cut Nicole off with surprising strength in her tone.

 

The nurse smiled very softly at that. She looked at Nicole and gave a nod “It’s good that you are here for your friend, dear. How long have you known each other?”

 

“Oh, I don-”

 

“Forever” The girl in the bed said quickly. She looked over at Nicole and the corner of her lips flickered up into a tiny smile. “We grew up together. Our moms were pregnant at the same time and they were neighbors.”

 

“Bless my heart” The nurse said with a smile as she looked between the girls. “That is beautiful. I knew I could sense a special bond between you two. I can always tell” She nodded as she moved around the room getting supplies out of various drawers and closets “When two people are close like you two, you can always feel it in the room. Very therapeutic. Helps with the healing process.”

 

Nicole just sat there looking dumbfounded. She was a horrible liar. So she didn’t say anything because she knew she would ruin the story.

 

The girl in the bed, however, smiled and looked back at Nicole. She locked her gaze with Nicole’s eyes and nodded just once “She’s always been there for me. She’s saved my life more times than I can count. I don’t know where I would be without my angel.”

 

The nurse let out a soft cooing sound and gave her head a pleased shake “Well I will let you rest darling. The doctor will be in shortly alright?” She looked back Nicole and grinned “Stay as long as you like, dear.”

 

“Thank you” Nicole said quickly as the nurse hurried off. She waited until the door was closed before she looked at the girl laying in bed with a shocked but amused look “What was that all about?”

 

The girl just laughed and shrugged one of her shoulders “I’m laying in bed all beat to Hell without an ounce of memory of who I am so why not make up my past?” She grinned at Nicole in amusement “At least for now I have a pleasant backstory until I start to remember who I really am.”

 

Nicole let out a soft laugh but nodded in agreement. What was the harm? She could imagine it was boring laying in bed all day trying to remember who you were. Nothing wrong with building fake memories in hopes that real ones start coming back to you.

 

The girl smiled at Nicole for a few moments before her face dropped and concern took over her features. She gave Nicole’s hand a tight squeeze and spoke in a shaky voice now “Do you think I will ever remember who I am?”

 

Nicole’s own smile faded. She move now to use her second hand to cover where their hands laid on the bed tangled together. She nodded firmly as she stared into the girl’s eyes “You have to give it time. It hasn’t been that long since you woke up. I am sure things are just fuzzy because of medication and all that.”

 

The girl gave a single nod but didn’t really look convinced. She rolled her head back on her pillow now so she was looking back up at the ceiling. Her grip was tight around Nicole’s hand. She was terrified. She had no idea who she was, where she was, how she got there, and her only sense of comfort was a complete stranger. She really hoped her memories started coming back to her soon.

 

“You should rest” Nicole spoke softly after a few moments of silence. She could see the girl’s face was twisted in concern and worry. She stood up from the side of the bed now and looked down at her. When their eyes met she offered a soft smile “I am going to go find some food and see if I can get a little more information from the doctor about what is going on, okay? I won’t be gone long.”

 

“Promise?” The girl sounded scared and the grip she had on Nicole’s hand tightened.

 

“Cross my heart” Nicole nodded and gave her hand a tight squeeze in return. “I’ll be right here when you wake up again.”

 

The girl offered a half of a smile and nodded. She looked Nicole over once more carefully before closing her eyes. She was scared. She was confused. She was lost. But through it all she somehow had gotten lucky enough to have this kind stranger by her side. She wasn’t sure what she had done to deserve her but she was grateful. 

 

Nicole waited until she was sure the girl was asleep again. When her grip loosened she knew Jane Doe had drifted off once more. Nicole lifted her hand gently and pressed a kiss to the back of her delicate knuckles before placing the hand gently against the bed. She slowly made her way from the room and once she was outside she let out a sigh. She took a moment to just find herself again, to center herself, before she nodded and switched on her determination. She needed answers and she would not rest until she got them.

 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

 

Nicole had to hurry back to the room so that she could be there when Jane Doe woke up. She had made quick work, multi-tasking as she moved, of finding a new outfit at a nearby store and calling her co-worker to whom she had emailed the picture of the girl. She was gone just over an hour and when she returned she was relieved to hear that the girl had not woken up again.

 

“I can’t thank you enough for letting me borrow these” Nicole said to Josh with a smile as she handed over his neatly folded scrubs. “Can you imagine how terrifying it would be to wake up and the first thing you see is someone at your bedside covered in blood?”

 

“It was my pleasure, Officer” Josh said with a grin as he took back the clothing.

 

Nicole smiled at the man and nodded just once “So does everyone know I’m some mysterious cop that just happened to find a bloody woman?”

 

Josh let out a soft chuckle and shook his head “It’s a hospital and we all love a juicy story. You really stirred up the gossip pot. We’ve been buzzing all day.”

 

“Oh god” Nicole rolled her eyes but let out a laugh of good humor. “I don’t even wanna know what they are saying.”

 

“Oh it’s good girl” Josh gave her a little smirk. “Especially when you add in the part that your wife works here.”

 

Nicole blushed now out of pure frustration at the fact that everyone knew about Shae. She let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head “Ex-wife. Soon to be, at least.”

 

“I’m not here to judge” He said with another teasing smirk as he lifted his hands to show he was neutral on the situation. 

 

Nicole shook her head slightly. She wondered who had spread the word that Shae and herself were married. Probably the night nurse that had been a little less than helpful when she had asked to speak with Shae. She sighed at that. Some people just had nothing better to do.

 

Shaking it off she thanked the nursing staff again before turning and heading back into the hospital room that she was growing all too familiar with all too quickly. She moved over to the chair on the side of the bed but before she sat she paused and looked around. It was early evening so the sun was still out but not too bright. She thought that Jane Doe might like a little sunlight when she woke up again so she moved to the window and started to pull the curtains open. Not too much but enough to light the room up a little more than the dim overhead lights shining down from the hospital ceiling.

 

When she turned to look back at the girl in the bed her breath caught in her throat at what she saw. Though the girl was still lying there not moving and she had not changed anything about herself at all the sunbeam that fell across her sleeping face lit her with a new light. She looked stunning. Her features, though still slightly bruised and swollen, somehow carried an exuberant energy. She looked like the type of person who everyone liked. She was beautiful in such a natural and pure way. Nicole bit her lip slightly as she soaked in the details as if seeing the girl for the first time. 

 

The sunlight across her face caused the girl to stir. She turned her head into the warmth of the light and a soft smile reached her lips before her eyes slowly blinked open. She drew in a slow, steady breath and let it out with a happy nod of her head “Sunlight.”

 

“Yeah I thought you might like a little natural light” Nicole moved slowly over to the bed without taking her eyes off of the enriched features of the girl’s face that shone in the sunlight. “I know when I get cooped up in the office too long I go nuts.”

 

“The office?” The girl focused on Nicole now, watching her move toward the bed slowly. As soon as Nicole sat she reached out for her hand.

 

As if it were instinct Nicole took hold of the outstretched hand. She smiled down at it as she watched her fingers curl around the girl’s delicate knuckles. She took in a deep breath to try and settled her heart that had leapt into the throat before looking back up at the girl “Being a cop isn’t all about chasing down bad guys and kicking ass. There is a surprising amount of paperwork involved.”

 

The girl smiled and nodded just once. Her hand gave a squeeze and she drew in a soft breath “How long have you been a cop?”

 

“Just over five years” Nicole nodded. The both of the spoke to each other gently. There was absolutely no reason for either of them to speak using a full voice in the quiet room. The softness of their conversation added a sense of intimacy as two strangers got to know one another. “I went through the academy in record time when I was nineteen.”

 

The girl smiled again at that. Her gaze was focused firmly on Nicole as she spoke showing that she was listening and completely interested in what she was saying. “So you’re pretty smart?”

 

Nicole blushed as a smile took over her features. She let her chin drop and her eyes fall away from the girl in bed for a moment. She nodded just once and took a breath before looking back at the girl and finding her eyes again “I guess you could say that.”

 

“Smart and pretty” The girl said as her smile grew on her lips. “How did I get so lucky?”

 

Nicole blushed so bright that there was no hiding it. Her pale skin betrayed her and showed every ounce of blood that had rushed to her cheeks at the compliment. She shook her head slightly and tried to laugh it away “If I didn’t know any better I would think you were flirting with me.”

 

The girl laughed now softly and shrugged a single shoulder “Considering I have no idea who I am I can neither confirm nor deny that statement.”

 

Nicole’s smile dropped and she let out a sad sounding sigh “Still no memories?”

 

The girl just shook her head slightly in defeat. She gave Nicole’s hand a squeeze as she spoke “But it’s been less than 24 hours right? The doctor says that it could take a few days.”

 

“It can. You’re right” Nicole nodded firmly at that as she returned the squeeze of the hand. “You are alert and conversational. You seem to be aware of where you are now and have a pretty good grip on the facts you have been presented. You are able to remember details like my name and such so I think that means your brain is healthy. It just needs a little time to remember the past.”

 

“Are you sure you’re not a cop and a doctor?” The girl asked with a soft laugh.

 

Nicole let out a laugh and gave her head a shake at the question. This girl was funny. The urge to help figure out who she was and return her to her normal life was growing with each passing moment she spent with her.

 

“No but she is married to one” A voice broke into the quiet of the room which made Nicole jump. She turned her head to the source and immediately a frown came to her lips as she saw Shae had made her way into the room undetected.

 

“What are you doing here?” Nicole asked softly as she stood up from the chair at the side of the bed.

 

Shae smiled and moved further into the room now that her presence was known “I just got off my shift and I am here to fulfill my promise…” She lifted a yellow colored folder now to indicate she had the divorce papers in her hands. Then her eyes moved to the girl in the bed and how Nicole’s hand was wrapped tightly around hers and she gave a little nod “How is she doing?”

 

Nicole noticed where Shae’s eyes had fallen but she did not pull her hand away. She instead looked at the girl and shrugged “All things considered I think she’s doing amazing.”

 

“Right as rain” The girl gave a playful but slow pump of a fist into the air then laughed. “Are you my new doctor?”

 

“Nope. Just a friend of Nicole’s” Shae motioned to the tall red head standing next to her bed before offering a smile to the girl in the bed. “I heard you had woken up. How do you feel?”

 

The girl just shrugged then looked over to Nicole “At least the company I’m keeping is good.”

 

“Yeah she is quite the charmer isn’t she?” Shae smiled over to Nicole before moving to the other side of the hospital bed. She leaned down and scooped up the chart that held the information for all of the testing and medical procedures that had already been done on the girl. She nodded a few times then put it back before looking down at her again. “As a real doctor I can confirm what Nicole was just saying. Your brain is functioning well. Just give it some time for the memories to come back.”

 

Nicole scoffed to herself but didn’t comment. Shae just loved to showboat when it came to her doctor skills.

 

“Thanks, doc” The girl in the bed said with a smile.

 

“My pleasure. I hope you get well soon” Shae placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder and gave a few tender pats. For as sarcastic and brash as she was with Nicole her bedside manner with patients was the stellar opposite. She was compassionate and kind. It was easy to see that she was made to be a doctor.

 

A silence fell over the room for just a few moments. Nicole looked down at where her hand was still holding onto the girl’s smaller one and she smiled. She gently moved to set it back on the bed and slide her hand away “I am just going to talk to Dr. Pressman here for a moment and I will be right back in.”

 

“Promise?” The girl asked like she had before.

 

“Cross my heart” Nicole said with a grin. She let her eyes linger on the girl for another heartbeat then lifted her eyes to Shae. Her smile dropped and she motioned for Shae to lead the way out of the room before moving behind her in silence.

 

As they stepped out into the hallway of the hospital and the door clicked closed behind them, Nicole let out a sigh “Thanks for this.” She said with a motion to the folder that Shae held.

 

“And thanks for keeping your word and not skipping out on me” Shae smirked as she lifted the folder. She held it out to Nicole but pulled it back as the girl reached for it “Or should I thank the pretty damsel in distress for keeping you around?”

 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Nicole almost growled in frustration at the statement.

 

“Just that it’s what you do” Shae said with a nonchalant shrug. “You love to be the hero. You love it when there is a helpless victim that you can swoop in and whisk away.”

 

Nicole gave a roll of her eyes and breathed out a harsh sigh “See? This is one of the many reasons we would never work, Shae. You hate not being the smartest or bravest person in the room. You love being the center of attention. You love everyone looking up to you. The fact that I was an intellectual equal bored you.”

 

“And the fact that I wasn’t wounded bored you” Shae retorted with a fire in her words.

 

Nicole shook her head. She was done with this. She had felt bad about coming here to ask for the divorce papers but that had since faded. Now she could not wait to never have to see or talk to Shae again. She thrust her hand toward Shae with her palm up “Can I just have the papers, please?”

 

Shae grunted and slapped the folder into Nicole’s hand. She gave her head a defeated shake and rolled her eyes “Have fun with your new girlfriend. This time, once she’s all healed and doesn't need you as a crutch, at least give her the human decency of a face to face goodbye.”

 

Before Nicole could retort Shae had turned and rushed away. WIth a shake of her head, Nicole looked down at her hands and the folder that held the divorce papers. She was so infuriated by Shae that she had to draw in a few breaths to calm herself down. She did not want to go back into the room upset. So she stood there breathing slowly to bring herself out of the anger she was feeling.

 

After taking a few moments to calm down, and another few moments to call her co-worker to check for any updates, Nicole turned and headed back to the room. She put a smile on her face and pushed the door open slowly. She had no idea if the girl had fallen back to sleep while she was outside. She made her way into the room slowly and when she saw the girl turn her head at her presence her smile grew “Hey there. I was worried you were gonna run off.” She said teasingly as she moved back to the chair by the bed.

 

“Tried” The girl said with a laugh. “But then I realized I’m practically naked in this hospital gown and didn’t think that was a good impression to make on complete strangers as I ran down the street.”

 

Nicole blushed at the mention of the girl’s flimsy outfit that was the hospital gown. They honestly did not offer much as far as modesty went. She quickly shook the thought away as she sat on the chair.

 

As if it were a habit already, the girl reached for Nicole’s hand as soon as she sat in the chair. When Nicole took it without hesitation she smiled softly “That lady seemed annoying to me. I’m glad she’s not my doctor. She was so fake.”

 

Nicole couldn’t help the loud laugh she let out at the words. She quickly covered her mouth and blushed brightly at her outburst. As her hand dropped from her mouth it revealed a wide smile that was accompanied by the most prominent dimples the girl in the bed had ever seen.

 

“Wow” The girl breathed out with her own smile growing over her lips. “You have the most incredible dimples.”

 

This only served to make Nicole blush even darker. She tried to shake her head in an attempt to make the blush fade but it didn’t help. She drew in a deep breath because she could feel her heart dancing in her chest and she needed to calm herself down. Through it all her smile, and subsequently her dimples, had not faded from her face. “Thank you. And you are right about Shae. She is a little insufferable. She loves to be the smartest person in the room.”

 

“Did she say you were married?” The girl switched subjects quickly.

 

Nicole, surprised by the sudden change of subject, let her smile fade. She looked at the girl and for some reason the thought of admitting that she was in fact married worried her. As if the girl laying there in the bed would not like her any longer. She finally nodded at the words though “Uh, yeah. I mean technically we are still married but it was never a real marriage…” She shrugged a single shoulder at the idea “We were drunk in Vegas and adrenaline was running high. We both realized really quickly that it was a mistake.”

 

“She said he was a doctor?” The girl asked without any indication on her face whether what she had just heard had been a good or bad thing.

 

“She” Nicole corrected the girl with a clearing of her throat. She nodded just once before continuing “She is a doctor, yes. The insufferable one you just met, actually.” She motioned to the door to indicate where Shae had both come and gone before sighing softly. “Funny story, really.”

 

The girl somehow managed to lift the eyebrow with a huge gash through it into an interested perk. She stared at Nicole for a long moment as if she were trying to decide if she was being serious. When Nicole’s worried look did not change she finally gave a nod “How did that happen?”

 

Nicole nodded just once out of relief that the girl seemed to not be judging her too harshly. She drew in a breath as she prepared to recall the story. She spent the next few minutes telling the girl how they had met at a game table in Vegas and proceeded to get drunk. They had hooked up that night then decided the next night they would go to the Britney Spears show down the street. High off the adrenaline of the show, and the alcohol coursing through their veins, they had gone back to the casino to gamble. A big jackpot win sent them over the edge. As a celebration they had too many drinks and decided they should get married because they were having so much fun together. What could possibly go wrong? The next morning Nicole had immediately started regretting the decision but decided to give it a shot. She was definitely not a quitter.

 

The girl in the bed just nodded. It made sense to her somehow. Though she could not remember who she was or where she came from she somehow knew that things like that just happened in Vegas. It was just a known fact apparently. That was weird to her but she just went with it. Maybe it would help spark other things she just happened to know. 

 

“At least you tried” She finally said with a soft smile on her lips. 

 

“Yeah” Nicole said with a heavy sigh. It was the biggest mistake of her life. She wish she could take it back. She had always believed that all mistakes were just lessons to be learned but she hadn’t taken anything away from that one. Maybe she had learned that she should not drink heavily around pretty girls. Then again she had learned that one a long time ago and obviously had not put that into practice.

 

“For what it’s worth” The girl spoke from the bed softly so as not to startle Nicole who looked deep in thought “I am not judging you for what you just told me. Hell I don’t even know who I am. I could be a murderer for all I know.” She laughed softly as she tried to ease the tension a bit with a joke.

 

Nicole let out a soft laugh and before she could stop herself she mumbled “If you’re a murderer I wouldn’t mind being killed by you.” As soon as she realized what she said her eyes went wide with panic “Um, I mean…” 

 

The girl in the bed didn’t even flinch. She just smiled a little wider and nodded “Do you always find something positive in everything?”

 

Nicole, glad the girl did not tease her any further, just nodded “It is one of the most annoying things about. At least I am told so.”

 

“By who?” The girl looked surprised to hear that.

 

“People” Nicole shrugged. “People I work with. People I know. Just people.”

 

“Well they are nuts because I think it’s amazing” The girl smiled and her eyes locked on Nicole to show her that she meant the words seriously.

 

“Thanks” Nicole said softly as another blush crept through her cheeks. She had never blushed this much in her life and yet somehow this mysterious girl had been able to perfect the art in less than a day. She shook the thought away and smiled down at the girl “Speaking of trying to find something positive I had an idea. How about you think of a name for yourself? You know, something I can call you until we figure out who you are. I mean I’ve just been calling you Jane Doe. That’s so….” She searched for the word to describe what she felt about it before shrugging it off “It doesn’t fit you.”

 

The girl smiled softly at Nicole. The gesture was so simple but it was sweet. She wanted her to have a name, a real name, not just one they labeled her as a reference point. She nodded just once at Nicole and cleared her throat softly “I can pick any name I want?”

 

“Yeah, sure” Nicole said with a soft laugh. She was glad the girl had not thought it was a weird idea. “I mean look deep down inside yourself and find your name. What do you feel like? What is the name that will capture who you truly are?”

 

“No pressure or anything” The girl said with a laugh. She turned her head and looked up at the ceiling as she thought it over. She nodded against her pillow a few times and really took her time to think about it. Her hand gave Nicole’s soft squeezes every now and then as she processed her options. After a few quiet moments she looked over at Nicole again and shrugged “I don’t know. What do you think I look like?”

 

Nicole shrugged too but her smile never faded as she looked down at the girl. “Okay let’s see…” She focused on the girl in the bed a little more carefully, narrowing her eyes as if she were trying to look deep inside the girl to see if she could find her name. She took a few moments of thought before she shrugged and let out a soft laugh “How about Jennifer?”

 

“Ew gross” The girl in the bed said with a laugh. “You couldn’t be any more creative than that?”

 

Nicole laughed out in fake offense “Hey! There is nothing wrong with Jennifer! It’s a very popular name.”

 

“Exactly. You might as well just keep calling me Jane in that case. Come on, be creative.”

 

“Well you aren’t helping” Nicole laughed again. She started to think it over once more and after a moment she just shrugged “Okay I bet your name is unique. Something about your eyes…” She bit her lip and took a moment to look right into the girl’s eyes before she blinked and continued her thought “...You seem different than most. I bet your name is one that someone hears once and never forgets. Like you make a lasting impression.”

 

The girl bit her bottom lip and she felt her entire body warm. She was pretty certain that was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her. Sure she didn’t remember anything from before she woke up in the hospital but something inside her told her that what Nicole had said was definitely the sweetest thing she had ever heard. The way Nicole was looking at her while she said it gave her chills. It was an intense stare like she was really looking deep into her soul. 

 

“Wow” The girl said as she let out a breath and offered Nicole a smile. “Now there’s really no pressure to pick the right name.”

 

Nicole felt as though she had somehow upset the girl. She bit her lip and gave the hand she held a soft squeeze “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

 

“You didn’t” The girl said quickly. Her head gave a little shake and she shrugged slightly “You just had this look in your eyes that made me feel like you actually really knew me. The things you said about me felt like they were true. I don’t really know how to explain it but…” She smiled very softly and squeezed at Nicole’s hand tightly “...I think you’re right about me.”

 

There was a sudden intensity in both of the girls’ eyes as they stared at one another. There was an electricity that was coursing between them. A spark. Something in that moment was screaming out that the connection they were sharing was no accident. It was like they had always known each other.

 

As they stared into one another’s eyes something inside the both of them took over like a reflex. Like an innate instinct that helped lead the way through life. It took over and without thought about it both girls seemed to have the same natural reflex as they both made to move closer to the other. Nicole leaned down and the girl in the bed started to lift her head from the pillow and neither of them seemed to fight what was happening. It was as if they were physically unable to to stop them self as they moved closer and closer to one another.

 

Then Nicole’s phone chimed. She jumped at the sudden sound and straightened up where she had been leaned over the bed. She blinked and immediately blushed at what had just nearly happened between the girls. “I’m sorry” Nicole mumbled and shifted now to reached for the phone in her pocket. “It might be work.”

 

The girl in the bed felt her heart racing in her chest. She blinked a few times as Nicole sat up and let out a soft laugh of embarrassment at herself as she laid back onto her pillow. She nodded at Nicole and offered an awkward smile “No apologies. It could be important.”

 

Nicole offered the girl another soft and apologetic smile before looking down at her phone. She was glad she had the distraction so she didn’t have to awkwardly avoid eye contact with the girl she had nearly kissed.

 

The girl watched Nicole looking at her phone and she felt painfully awkward. They sat in silence for a few moments before it became unbearable and she had to break the silence. She cleared her throat and spoke lightly “So I was thinking maybe my name is-”

 

“Waverly!” Nicole’s eyes went wide and she looked from her phone to the girl and smiled widely. “I got a hit on a missing person’s report! Your name is Waverly E-”

 

“Earp” Waverly whispered in a tremble. As soon as she had heard her name everything came back to her like a flash. Who she was, where she was from, and how she had ended up beaten outside the hospital. Every last detail came back to her like someone flipping on a light switch. She looked over at Nicole now, looking completely terrifying, and nodded softly “My name is Waverly Earp and I am in big trouble Nicole.”

  
  



End file.
